Exercise does not help people lose the weight they put on during the holidays, new research suggests

Next time you think about helping yourself to another mince pie, you might want to think again.

People put on an average 2lb over the festive period and most never lose it again, research suggests.

This means that over a period of 10 years, the average person gains 20lbs.

Men were more likely to gain weight than women.

Researchers at Texas Tech University, in the U.S., also found exercise does not help people lose the weight they put on during the holidays.

The team studied 48 men and 100 women between the ages of 18 and 65, Health Day reports.

Half of the volunteers said they were serious exercisers, while the other half admitted to not taking any exercise.

The researchers found that just over the festive period, the volunteers put on an average of nearly 2lbs.

They found that the people who were overweight at the beginning of the research period put on the most weight - and saw the greatest increase in body fat percentage.

They also found that how much exercise the person did had no impact on the amount of weight they gained.

The team admit they aren't sure why this was - and accept that while exercising did not prevent weight gain, it could be having other health benefits.

Dr Jamie Cooper, assistant professor of nutritional sciences at Texas Tech University, said people may not think gaining 1 or 2lbs is a lot but that it could be an important factor in causing obesity if people never lose it again.